1451 Validity.

I have been scrambling trying to get caught up on stuff so I can get my avatar drawings done from this month. I’ve decided to stop drinking soda, even though it’s basically my coffee equivalent, because if it’s in the house I’ll just stress drink it until it’s all gone. Of course now I suppose that I’ll have to go through withdrawal, so…

I’ve been watching King Of The Hill since they finally released the last DVD set. It’s pretty high on my list of shows that make me feel like life is still worth living. The show almost didn’t get the closure it needed because Fox basically abandoned it towards the end, but they did give it an actual ending, with some real closure. I didn’t see it until much later when Adult Swim started airing the seasons in order. I’m not actually sure if I’ve seen every episode. So as I watch the last season I might get to see something I might not have seen. Of course, even if I’ve seen all the last ones, watching the show is fun and makes me feel good, which is a lot more than I can say for the Walking Dead, which I’m thinking about giving up on now. I’m too invested in the remaining characters and they all have a target on their backs.

Luckily Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles delivered some hope to offset the sour taste of TWD. The last season ended real hardcore, but they left the door open for some hope. That show is weirdly true to the source material in some ways.

The original Casey Jones from the Black and white comics [green cover here] XD
I think I stopped buying their comics during the Triceraton story arc. The again around that time the whole industry went stupid with variant covers for the yuppie collectors.

Depending on the version, I always hope April will end up with a different turtle, but I feel weird doing it. That’s probably part of the reason why Casey was introduced, to give fans a human romance option for April, even if writers choose not to include a romance story line.

In the current cartoon, Donny has a thing for April, and Leo and Karai kind of have a thing. It’s like, “Oh, they would be great together. But he’s a turtle and she’s a human. How would this work? I’m so confused!” At least Karai is now a mutant snake thing, so it makes it less taboo. (That is probably one of the weirdest sentences I have ever typed.)

Gotta say that 90′s cartoon Raphael is my favorite incarnation of any Turtle. He had a quick, sharp wit that I always wished I had, and there were few situations so dire that he couldn’t make a wisecrack about it.

Favorite non-turtle character? That’s a bit trickier…Mona Lisa’s near the top of my list (I definitely shipped her with Raphael), but I do have a soft spot for the most iconic dumb lackeys ever, Rocksteady and Bebop. They were always good for a chuckle. Hmmm… Not sure I can just pick one…

When I gave up Diet Coke (my coffee), I started using Penguin Mints which are caffeinated. They come in a tin like Altoids and three of them are the equivalent of one 12 ounce can of soda. It makes it easier to wean yourself off caffeine without the bad headaches this way.

I’ve been loving the new Turtles series, and I’m so annoyed that I missed the season 3 finale and season 4 premiere (We’ve switched from cable to Netflix, and the Turtles website won’t show older episodes anymore unless you’ve got a subscription to Nickelodeon’s cable network). I like how it takes a lot of inspiration from the 80′s/90′s show that I grew up with (with a strong sense of humor, many borrowed characters from the cartoon and toy line, and even the classic Party Wagon and Technodrome, to name a few similarities), but also borrows elements from other incarnations of the Turtles (Such as Hun and a few references to the “Same as it Never Was” episode from the 2003 series. They also got voice cameos from the original movie trilogy: Robbie Rist was the movies’ Mikey and this show’s Mondo Gecko, while Corey Feldman was the voice of Donatello and now voices Slash). I’m particularly geeking out over an upcoming episode; the old 1987 Turtles – who once had a brief cameo, complete with their original voice actors – are returning for a full-on crossover, and I got to see the animatic for it. :D It’s right here if you want to see it:

Also regarding TWD (Spoiler free! I promise) … I dunno if what they lead us to believe we saw last night is actually what happened … I’m hoping they’re pulling some shenanigans here and there was something else happening off camera that we didn’t see. Just my theory … maybe I’m in denial. Lol

Not sure what your comment actually means … but looks like i was right after last nights episode. I know you wont read this (maybe jackie will, so if you do … I’m sorry for being a jerk in your comments) but i’m being a child and coming here to say “I was right” and you should eat a dick. Carry on.

Good call on quitting soda. It is really hard on the body in many ways that are easy to google.

The green tea suggestion is a good one to help with the caffeine withdraw, but IMHO sugar is a MUCH tougher drug to quit. With caffeine, if you can put up with a three day headache, you are pretty fine in 5 days. Sugar is a devious mo’ fo’ as far as addictions go.

When my dad was a kid, Coke came in a 7-oz bottle and cost $0.05, which was serious change at the time. (The year he graduated from high school, the minimum wage was raised to $0.75/hour.) Kids didn’t drink a lot of soda. Candy was similarly priced, but candy bars were a lot larger.

Today, lots of people drink liquid fructose solutions by the liter, and it’s a serious public health problem. But you know all that.

Backing off of that stuff is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Hang in there. :)

Just a heads up on the soda pop thing. If you try it again after not drinking any for a year+, be prepared for a vile aftertaste. And that’s if the initial taste doesn’t make you spit it back out).

I can’t stand the taste of most of the big brand names (I was never found of Pepsi before quitting). Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper (used to be my favorite), 7up, Sprite, etc. Though, there are those I still like/can pallet; cream soda, root beer, sarsaparilla, ginger beer, most of the fruit ones (unless heavy on the red dye).